A Break with a Lot of Lily Allen

The bad news is that my knees have taken a turn for the worse. I can feel the joints and whatever else is in there awkwardly shifting and rearranging whenever I stand up after sitting for a while and they start hurting sometimes in the middle of walking, even. Argh.

So I'm going to take some time off, which one would think would drive me craaaaazy. And it does, somewhat. I'm worried about getting the pretty intense exercise I'm used to. I'm worried about losing endurance. I'm worried about not doing one of the things that really defines who I am.

But maybe it's time for a break? I've run about 20-25 miles a week for about a year now. My body is telling me to rest and I need to listen to it. So instead, I'll take up long walks and stationary biking and chilllll for a while.

I'm still going to post playlists, though, and keep the blog going! Check back soon and I'll come up with a plan for this little hiatus.

Meanwhile, Lily Allen's new album is as much fun as her old one. I have it on constant loop. Check it.

5.5 Down the Boardwalk

*Never Let You Go -- Third Eye Blind
Not Big -- Lily Allen
Ruby -- Kaiser Chiefs
Disturbance At The Heron House -- R.E.M.
Black Star -- Radiohead
Beer  -- Reel Big Fish
Please Don't Stop the Music -- Rihanna
Do You Really Want Me -- Salt n Pepa
Kryptonite -- 3 Doors Down
Not The Doctor -- Alanis Morissette
Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
Glamorous -- Fergie
Take Me Home Tonight -- Eddie Money
**Laughing Out Loud -- The Wallflowers
*Right Here -- SWV
Walk Away -- Kelly Clarkson
Behind These Hazel Eyes -- Kelly Clarkson

Again, with the heat! I had another stop n' start run on Sunday, but this time I'm not too down on myself because I was directly under the sun (at 11:30 a.m.) the whole time. Running down the boardwalk through Coney Island and all of its summer madness was a nice change. And this time,  I didn't trip on a loose board in front of the sunbathing crowds and skin my knees (they all told me to sue the city).

You know, for all of my bitching, I'm just never satisfied. When I run through city streets, with their twists and turns and stoplights and inclines and declines, I always wish I could just run straight, flat, and uninterrupted. But whenever I get that opportunity (the boardwalk is 2.5 miles long), I just get bored. Out-and-backs are dull.

*These were nice lil' beachy songs.

**This album brings me back to high school so fast and so hard that it makes me uncomfortable.

Knees Good, Humidity Bad

*Friday Night -- Lily Allen
I Want You Back -- Jackson 5
I'm Shipping Up To Boston -- Dropkick Murphys
Lights And Music -- Cut Copy
Somebody to Shove -- Soul Asylum
Glamorous (Feat. Ludacris) -- Fergie
Trouble -- Pink
The Middle -- Jimmy Eat World
Stronger -- Kanye West
Heartless -- Kanye West
Dirrty -- Christina Aguilera
Annie Waits -- Ben Folds
Think -- Aretha Franklin
No Excuses -- Alice in Chains
Transistor -- 311
Feeling Good -- Muse
Pussy Control -- Prince

The good news is my knees were at about 95% yesterday.

But ugh, something is amiss with my running. Lately, my motivation has been even weaker than usual, I'm bored 5 minutes into a run... and yesterday I had to stop several times during my 6 mile run. I. Hate. Stopping. The zen, the flow, the rhythm, all done once I stop, and I know the rest of a run will be jerky and painful.

So somewhere around 4th Avenue and Sackett I got really discouraged -- I had a lot of trouble keeping it chugging in Boston, too. But then I realized that, oh yeah, the humidity has been out of control. Oh yeah, we haven't really had summer weather yet, and those rainy skies and cool breezes, although gifts from the running gods, were a fluke.

I'm blaming stifling humidity, chugging a lot more water from now on, and trying again on Saturday.

*My 2-years late obsession with Lily Allen is going great, thanks. Why is someone so young allowed to be so saucy and fabulous? No fair.

6 Miles of Babbo Pain

Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors -- Editors

Father Figure -- George Michael

Hey Jealousy -- Gin Blossoms

2,000 Light Years Away -- Green Day

Walking On Broken Glass -- Annie Lennox

Everything's Just Wonderful -- Lily Allen
Shame on You -- Indigo Girls
In The Closet -- Michael Jackson
**Love Will Never Do (Without You) -- Janet Jackson
Smile -- Lily Allen
Better Things (live) -- Dar Williams
As Cool As I Am (live) -- Dar Williams

Die Alone -- Ingrid Michaelson

Hand On My Heart -- Dan Wilson

Against History -- Dan Wilson

Great Escape -- Guster

When you have a gift certificate to Babbo, you go all out. When you order an 8-course pasta tasting meal (pappardelle with peas! beet/ricotta ravioli! pyramids of braised beef! cherry tart with mint ice cream! and on! and on!) that only takes up a little more than half of what you can spend, you fill out the rest of your meal with cocktails (a rhubarb bellini!) and wine.

My tender lil' tummy, which never leaves the house, was all, "dude, that's a lot of alcohol (and not to mention food), missy." She was still VERY VERY angry with me on Wednesday. I thought it would end by the afternoon, but no, come running time everything was all askew inside my body. Body be damned! I was running!

This was a painful 6 miles in every way. But complete. Ugh.

**Janet's best, obvi.

One time I was at the gym and this came on VH1. Looking around the room, I saw everyone's personal TV turn to it, one by one. You can't look away. Hi, Antonio! Hi, Djimon Hounsou!